On 17th October, Newstead Wood School for Girls became the third school in the UK to be officially registered with the charity Soroptimist International.
Soroptimist International is a Cambridge based charity dedicated to improving the lives of women and children around the world, working in several parts of the Americas, Europe and Asia. At NWS, there is a society which fundraises for this charity, led by Year Eleven student Devangi Vyas. Devangi has been running this club at school since she started Year Ten. So far, the club has spread awareness of the charity in school through an informative assembly. They also raised nearly £300 for the 'School of Law' project which is run in collaboration with Soroptimist International through a pizza sale.
On 17th October, Soroptimist International representatives Alison Driscoll and Dinah Scudder from Bromley and Pat Dale and Emma Patel from Croydon came to the school to conduct the chartering ceremony of the NWS Soroptimist Club. A copy of the Soroptimist International charter was given to the school and the girls involved were given certificates and badges to confirm that they are officially registered with the charity. "We are very excited to be part of the early groups," said Devangi.
As the club is only attended by current Year Eleven students, Devangi is keen to expand to include lower years. "I have already talked to a few younger ones and I cannot wait to get more people involved," she said. If you are interested in Soroptimist International, look up your local branch and get involved, or enquire about setting up your own club at school.
by Sanga Arivanantham
